Ryan Leaf wanted to retire in second season
By Cory Buck
A recent report from ESPN’s Jim Trotter outlines yet another sad story from the sordid past of former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf. This one stems from early in Leaf’s career when Trotter claims Leaf discussed potentially retiring from the league in the middle of his second season in the league.
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Trotter details his conversation as such:
"During a confidential conversation [Leaf] told me he was strongly considering retiring. He had had a disastrous rookie season in which he lost the respect of teammates and the fans, and then lost his starting job. Year 2 wasn’t much better. He had shoulder surgery early in the season and, in November, was suspended for four games and docked one week’s salary for conduct detrimental to the team. It was then that Leaf told me was leaning toward quitting the game."
Of course, this was a piece written to detail why Johnny Manziel’s career won’t follow the same path as that of Leaf, but that’s not going to prevent Browns fans from quietly cursing the day they clicked that link.
Don’t fret though because unless there’s something we really don’t know about Manziel, there is almost no chance he could be half the bust that was Ryan Leaf.